Big Red Boots

Caffeine Examiner
Trying desperately to pull my overworked brain cells from their perpetual desire to slog off, I scour the aisles for the perfect caffeinated substance. From Korean Drink Cans to stomach churning bargain caffeinated malt liquor to organic hand picked beans from the Peruvian mountaintops, Ill help you on your journey through the world’s most popular psychoactive substance.

  

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Canada's taste far above par. Rage Liquid Energy

July 10, 11:39 AM
by Big Red Boots, Caffeine Examiner
 
 
To honor the spirit of this review, I am writing this to the greateast of Canadian Rage Music, Kataklysm. Kataklysm's Let Them Burn is the perfect backdrop to this review of Canadian high caffeine soda. Rage is pure Canadian energy - even down to the french ingredients on the label. While it is possible to find here in the US now, this drink is a rare and delicious find. Rage is put out by Pinnacle Exclusives, and they advertise that they will make Rage to fit any country's drink and nutritional specifications, and not compromise on taste. Great idea for a great drink - going for a global market instead of just keeping north of the border.

I had no idea of what to expect from a canadian drink - as their rules and customs differ from us Normal Americans. I spent some time in Vancouver, and saw to their odd ways - rocking out to music we in the US have never even heard of ( since when are The Tragically Hip a supergroup?) eaten foods bizzare and confusing ( I have never seen so many falafel stands in my entire life) and finding the most interesting green tinged baked goods in their bakeries.   They even allow an energy drink with BZP, an ecxtasy-like substance banned in the US into one of their energy supplements.  I trepidaciously opened the can and was very very happy at this fantastic powerful drink from the North.

Buzz/Nutrition:7
Rage has a lot of things going for it. While many would compare this to a Monster or Rockstar, Rage boosts up the levels of caffeine to a much much higher percentage. There is 200mg per can, opposed to the 160 found in most 16oz energy drinks. They also boost the taurine levels as well as the rest of the usual energy drink cast of characters.
The interesting thing is that they include 50mg of creatine in this drink. Creatine is used mostly by bodybuilders to gain muscle mass. However when they take it as a supplement, it is usually measured in grams, not milligrams. 50mg is not really enough to do anything unless you plan on drinking cases of this stuff. Creatine can also cause nausea and diarreah, so there are some pros and cons to adding this into your energy drinks.
As for calories - no idea. Guess it is not important as it is not listed anywhere on the cans or in the pounds of literature they sent along to me. I am guessing there is a bunch, But they do not list High Fructose Corn Syrup, instead using Fructose and sucralose.

Taste:10
This tastes like a great combination of fruit punch and monster. There is a definite citrus to the drink, but a strong fruitiness as well. There is a sourness to it, but not in a hard to drink kind of way. This has a strong pineapple/grapefruit flavor so much better than a red bull clone. IF you can find this drink - just pick it up and drink it. It is one of the best flavorsd I have ever tasted for a straight-on energy drink. It is surprising, refreshing and overall delicious. I don't give out perfect scores very often for taste - but this is an amazing combination of sweet and tart, with little lingering aftertaste and a fruity smell.

Packaging:8
I love all that is rage - it appeals to my inner sense of what an energy drink for the young masses is about. Distressed fonts, graffiti style, chain link fencing in the background... The big stamp on the drink is "Follow no rules" - which looks great on the can, even if somewhat absurd. The label is also HUGE - covering 70 percent of the can. This gets around the problem of placing the product name forward in convenience store shelves. This drink makes me break out the epic speed metal - makes me want to drive faster and down some ketchup flavored potato chips.
Wish I knew more from the package however. no calorie listing?

Website:4 rageliquidenergy.com
Great effort, but horrible excecution. The plash page - whick by and large I find superfluous, is the coolest part of the site. After that, the idea comes through, but it barely works - sowing pictures in the wrong places, not giving me any info on the product and the company. I would rate this even lower, but the concept and idea behid it is pretty fantastic. I just hope they finish it and do some more bug testing.

Bevnet Review
Taurine Rules


Topics: The worst and the best , Energy Drinks , international caffeine
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